MacKinnon named a captain for CHL Top Prospects Game in Halifax

Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads will be the captain of Team Cherry at the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game set for Jan. 16 at the Halifax Metro Centre. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff / File)

UPDATED 9:23 p.m. Wednesday

Scouts will get the marquee matchup they want during the CHL Top Prospects Game in Halifax on Jan. 16.

Event organizers put the two stars of the game — Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones — on opposite teams and named them captain of their respective sides. Jones will captain Team Orr and MacKinnon will wear the C for Team Cherry, with MacKinnon’s Halifax Mooseheads teammate Jonathan Drouin lining up beside him as an alternate captain.

Sault Ste-Marie Greyhounds defenceman Darnell Nurse will be the other Team Cherry alternate captain and forwards Sean Monahan of the Ottawa 67’s and Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers will wear A’s for Team Orr. Don Cherry will be the head coach for the team that bears his name for a 14th time and Nova Scotian Mike McPhee will fill that role for Team Orr.

“I remember Seth and a few of the hits he made,” Cherry said during a conference call Wednesday. “I’ve never seen him in person but I’ve seen him on TV and I know one thing, if you’re coming down his blue-line you better keep your head up. And Nathan, he handles the puck and he reminds me of (Jeff) Skinner in a way. He makes all his moves and can shoot at top gear, just like Skinner. It’s going to be dynamite.

“I can’t remember, to tell you the truth, two better captains. I’ve had pretty good captains in (Ryan) Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, but I’ve never seen two at the top like this. This is really going to be interesting to see these two guys going at it head-to-head.”

Jones is a towering defenceman from Plano, Texas, with incredible all-around talent who plays for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. MacKinnon is an elite centre who was tied for second in the QMJHL scoring race prior to Wednesday’s games, one point behind leader Ben Duffy of the P.E.I. Rocket. Many scouts regard them as the two best prospects for the upcoming NHL draft so it will be intriguing to see them square off in such a high-profile game.

“We’re obviously both two competitive players and there’s not really one person that’s got the edge,” Jones said. “It goes back and forth a little bit but we’ve never really been in a one-on-one situation, just small games (of) three-on-three or area games. He’s a great player and he’s hard to contain.”

When asked if he might have the edge one-on-one, MacKinnon gave a similarly diplomatic response.

“It’s tough to play against him, for sure,” MacKinnon said. “For him being six-four and probably the best mobile defenceman, as a skater, that I’ve seen. He’s definitely a tough guy to play against.”

The two players are actually good friends, having gotten to know each other through their agent, Pat Brisson. They skate together regularly during the off-season but the only time they have ever faced each other in a meaningful game was during the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge when Jones was a member of Team USA and MacKinnon was an underage player for Team Atlantic. The Americans won 12-1.

“It was a pretty one-sided game,” Jones said. “We ran away with it pretty quickly. I don’t remember too much but I do remember glimpses of Nathan and how he was obviously a tough player for us to contain. I think we had a little more depth on our team at the time.”

Said MacKinnon: “Playing for Team Atlantic, it’s definitely always tough to play against Team U.S.A. the country. But at the same time, I realized quickly what type of player he was. He definitely stuck out in my mind as a player that would be really good down the road.”

MacKinnon was also asked if he might surprise the scouts and engage Jones in a fight in their January meeting.

“I don’t think I want to fight Seth,” MacKinnon said with a laugh. “He’s got about four feet on me so I think he’d have the advantage there.”

One advantage MacKinnon might have is Drouin’s familiar face on his wing. The two have incredible chemistry and Cherry gave MacKinnon the news on Wednesday that “You’ll be playing with him, I’ll tell you right now. It’s no secret. I’d be a pretty (big) dummy not to play them together.”

Although full rosters won’t be announced for two more weeks, it’s also expected Halifax goalie Zachary Fucale will play in the game. He is ranked by most scouts as the top netminder available for the 2013 draft.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” MacKinnon said. “The crowd is awesome here and supports us every game. To share this experience with them is definitely going to be special.”